<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""><div><br class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><b class="">=/= Supreme Royal Strike Liner <i class="">Zzanjha </i>=/=</b><br class=""><br class="">"Welcome aboard, Admiral," Atryzzza greeted, giving her mentor a bow of respect as he boarded her ship. The <i class="">Zzanjha</i> was the newest Supreme Royal Strike Liner, not a month since it's naming, and Atryzzza's first command. "You honor the <i class="">Zzanjha </i>with your vizzzit."<br class=""><br class="">Zzzogard looked around at his surroundings. The design of the ship was very much the same as his own, the <i class="">Kannar</i>.
But clearly Atryzzza had added her own touches in regards to colors in
the corridor. "Itzzz a pleazzzure to zzzee you again."<br class=""><br class="">"It hazz been too long. How izz your new firzzt officer?" Atryzzza asked.<br class=""><br class="">The
Admiral made a drawn out buzzing sound that clearly gave away his
displeasure. "There izzz much work that needzzz to be done with him.
Zzpeilzel hazzz hizzz work cut out for him. Queen Zerinet demandzzz
that I make her couzzin a zzouitable future Commander."<br class=""><br class="">"Politiczz,"
Atryzzza said with disgust. "I've had to deal with many ztupid Noblezz
myzzelf. I don't know if the Grand Emprezzz azzzigned them to me to
annoy me or threaten me."<br class=""><br class="">"Zzzhe could juzzt be plazzzing temptation in front of you," Zzzogard suggested.<br class=""><br class="">"Azz
I zaid: threaten. Zhe would like nothing more than an excuzze to kill
me. Not to worry, I will not give into temptation." Atryzzza said
confidently, yet her mandibles clicked together far too many times, a
sure sign of nervousness. She and Zzzogard, her mentor, hadn't often
talked about the temptation that mating presented for a young royal. A
mated royal became a queen, and a new queen became a threat to the old.
For Atryzzza it was a topic of embarrassment, something that would ruin
her and Zzzogard as she had little doubt Admiral Zzzogard would be
selected by the Grand Empress to track her down and kill her should
stray.<br class=""><br class="">"I'm confident that you are more than prepared to handle
all threatzzz. Been dealing with threatzzz my whole career. And I'm
zzztill here." They both were well aware that with the right reason,
the Grand Empress would have Zzzogard killed very quickly. Very few
warriors in the history of the Matriarchal Star Empire had ever reached
his rank. And with that rank came a lot of respect from the warrior and
even the worker castes. At this point no noble, royal or even the
Grand Empress could touch him without a valid reason. <br class=""><br class="">"Zzpeilzel
izz fortunate to have zuch a wizze mentor, even if the mentor izz not
zo fortunate to have Zzpeilzel azz a ztudent," Atryzzza said, her wings
buzzing in a manner that signified laughter. "Do you dezzire a tour of
the <i class="">Zzanjha</i>, before our meeting, Admiral?"<br class=""><br class="">"Zzzure it will give a chanzze to dizzcuzze current eventzzz."<br class=""><br class="">"I
heard about the colony attackzz. Akta puzzhed ahead before you were
ready, didn't he?" Atryzzza asked. Admiral Akta, Zerinet's military
advisor was a rival of Zzzogard's. It was no secret he wasn't pleased to
be serving under the warrior's banner.<br class=""><br class="">"Akta hazzz alwayzzz been
quick to get ahead of himzzzelf," Zzzogard answered. "The Federation
knowzzz that we likely have an invazzzion force on the verge of doing to
other coloniezzz what happened to the one he damn near wiped out."<br class=""><br class="">"Have you been able to pull him back?" Atryzzza asked as they reached a large thick door.<br class=""><br class="">"For now." Zzzogard let out a soft buzzing sound, which would be the Human equivalent to a sigh.<br class=""><br class="">Atryzzza opened the hatch and entered the <i class="">Zzanjha</i>'s
main reactor room. The large warp 7 drive made a steady hum as
Ke'elzzoid crawled around the area, careful not to touch the sections
that would burn. Six large pylons extended in a honeycomb shape from the
reactor, connecting into critical ship functions in the central and
forward sections of the vessel. A secondary reactor was in the rear of
the ship.<br class=""><br class="">The Ke'elzzoid inside quieted as they saw the large Admiral step through, many eyes focused on him.<br class=""><br class="">A
loud screech came from one of the workers on the ground floor, drawing
the attention of all of the Ke'elzzoid. "The Admiral izzzz not here zzzo
you can gawk at him. Back to work!"<br class=""><br class="">"My Chief Engineer,
Zzharbat," Atryzzza introduced. It wasn't unheard of to find a worker in
that role, but it wasn't the norm either.<br class=""><br class="">"Apologiezzzz for
that, Admiral," Zzharbat gave a bow. Zzzogard could smell an overseer's
mark under his lieutenant's. He hadn't been an officer for long.<br class=""><br class="">The Admiral looked over the worker, clearly inspecting him. "How long have you been an officer, Lieutenant?"<br class=""><br class="">Zharbat kept his eyes and antennae directed towards Zzzogard, not wishing to earn the Admiral's ire. "Two monthzzzz, Admiral."<br class=""><br class="">"The
chief engineer azzzigned to me wazz an idiot. Another noble," Atryzzza
spoke up. "I may not be able to replace them all but I wanted to enzzure
at leazzt repairzz and primary zhip functionzz would be done
correctly."<br class=""><br class="">"It appearzzz you run a tight engineering crew,
Lieutenant Zharbat," the Admiral complimented. "Your commanding officer
will tell you that I am not eazzzily imprezzzed. You have imprezzzed
me thizzz day. Keep up the good work."<br class=""><br class="">"I will, Admiral," Zharbat replied. The worker gave a small bow and then turned back to his work.<br class=""><br class="">Atryzzza
turned to Zzzogard. "I know I make my pozzition vulnerable with thezze
decizzionzz. But I will not zacrifice efficiency to play politiczz."<br class=""><br class="">Zzzogard
looked his former first officer. "It doezzz make you vulnerable among
thozzze in political pozzzitionzzz. But a deverzzze crew makezzz you
zzzuperior in other wayzzz that the Grand Emprezzzz would fear
herzzzelf. A crew of Nobelzzz in all the zzzenior officer zzzpotzzz are
doomed from the zzztart."<br class=""><br class="">The comm. unit buzzed, catching their attention. +++"Admiral, Commander. Word from the <i class="">Kannar</i>. Admiral Akta izzz attempting contact."+++<br class=""><br class="">Atryzzza's antennae rose at the news. "Zpeaking of thozze who are doomed. The idiot izz early."<br class=""><br class="">"That
will be a firzzzt." The Admiral took in a moment to calm himself
down. It was likely Akta's foolish ways cost them a swift victory
against the Federation.<br class=""><br class="">"Have the <i class="">Kannar </i>patch hizz zignal through to the <i class="">Zzanjha</i>'zz conference room. Inform him we will be there momentarily," Atryzzza instructed.<br class=""><br class="">She
opened the reactor room door and stepped back into the hallway, waiting
for the Admiral to follow her. "Akta zhould not be the Emprezzz'z
military advizzor. You zhould be," Atryzzza grumbled.<br class=""><br class="">"That could all change when he getzzz himzzzelf killed." Zzzogard's antennae twitched with excitement at the thought.<br class=""><br class="">"Do
you honezztly think Zerinet will ever bezztow that honor upon you?"
Atryzzza asked quietly. "Although perhapzz your time will come. Zerinet
won't live forever," the royal said menacingly. Quickly adding, "Whoever
zhe zelectzz azz her zuccezzzor would be wizze to conzzider you."<br class=""><br class="">"It
doezzzn't matter. I didn't enlizzzt to become an adivzzor to anyone.
My goal wazzz to get where I am now. And to protect the Matriarchal
Zzztar Empire. Anything elzzze izzz irrelevant."<br class=""><br class="">"Perhapzz," Atryzzza said, leading them into the turbolift. "But what do you do if the Empire needzz protecting from itzzelf?"<br class=""><br class="">Zzzogard
stopped to think for a moment. The Empire had these same issues for
generations. Empresses ruled with an iron fist at times and it was rare
that anyone stood up to them. And for those who did, died very
quickly. The Empress would get killed off by a royal and that
Ke'elzzoid would instantly become the next Empress. "Thizzz izz how our
people have been zzzince the beginning. When Zerinet diezzz or izzz
killed off, another will take her place. The cycle will zzzimply
continue."<br class=""><br class="">Atryzzza crossed her arms, but remained silent.
Thinking on his words. She believed the system could change with the
right Empress, but if her mentor didn't think so then it could not be
done.<br class=""><br class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">TBC....<br class=""></div><div class=""><br class="">____________________________<br class=""><br class=""></div>Admiral Zzzogard (NPC apb Michael)<br class="">Commanding Officer<br class="">Supreme Royal Strike Liner <i class="">Kannar</i><br class=""><br class="">&<br class=""><br class=""></div>Hive Commander Atryzzza (NPC apb Kristine)<br class=""></div>Commanding Officer<br class=""></div>Supreme Royal Strike Liner <i class="">Zzanjha</i></div>
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